There’s been a strong push to move from fossil fuels to electrical vehicles in recent years and all for the right reasons of lowering our impact on the environment. While we’ve seen a lot of progress in terms of electric cars on roads, things seemed to be moving a bit slower in the aviation sector. However, the Sweden-based air mobility startup Heart Aerospace has shared some fresh news. The company has introduced an electric drivetrain and new battery technology, which will be used in its upcoming airliner.
Heart Aerospace’s first electric airliner to be operational by 2026
Heart Aerospace previously announced that its upcoming all-electric aircraft ES-19 will sport a range of 400km with 215 knots of top speed. The airliner is also claimed to be capable of operating from shorter runways that are just 750 meters long. The new electric drivetrain, coupled with the new battery technology, will be able to push the aircraft to achieve a reasonable range, claims the company. The notable strides in battery development is being attributed to the automotive industry, which has shown notable progress in the recent years.
“The aviation industry is facing a two-fold problem – reconciling itself with a carbon-constrained world and coronavirus hindering passenger demand for flights, particularly long-haul. This is a reset moment, as across the board, the provision of public finance comes with the caveat that bailouts will only be offered in exchange for cutting emissions and electric aircraft could be the most sustainable and cost-effective way to travel,” says Anders Forslund, CEO and founder of Heart Aerospace.
Lofty, green goals
The Sweden-based aviation company is currently working on its nineteen-passenger airliner ES-19. Initially, the company plans to offer point-to-point transportation between Scandinavian cities, before expanding operations worldwide.
The Y-Combinator alumni was founded in 2018 by Anders Forslund has also received support from the Swedish government to electrify aviation. To date, Heart Aerospace has secured €1.9M in funding to further its ambition of developing electric aircrafts.
Speaking about the electric aircraft scene, Forslund adds, “Sweden has committed to make all domestic flights fossil-fuel-free by 2030 and Norway is targeting all domestic flights to be 100% electric by 2040. To achieve these goals, we have to get to work now. The technology is here and scale is possible for short-haul flights, which account for nearly half of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. We can’t wait for progress to happen – that’s not how innovation works.”
Main image credits: Heart Aerospace
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